Control mechanism for individually operated doors on hopper cars



June 29, 1954 o. INGRAM 2,682,233

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR INDIVIDUALLY OPERATED DOORS ON HOPPER CARS Filed Dec. 22, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l iv a INVENTOR.

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June 29, 1954 INGRAM 2,682,233

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR INDIVIDUALLY OPERATED DOORS 0N HOPPER CARS 2 sheets -sheet 2 Filed Dec. 22, 1949 ATTOR N 5Y5 Patented June 2 9, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROL MECHANISM FOR INDIVIDUALLY OPERATED DOORS ON HOPPER CARS Orville Ingram, Washington, D. 0.

Application December 22, 1949, Serial No. 134,570

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to railway hopper cars and more particularly to hopper cars having independently operated doors.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a hopper car having independently operated doors with means for maintaining the doors in a position for regulating the discharge of lading, such as ballast from the hopper.

A primary feature of the invention resides in providing a chain or the like which is adapted to be associated with the hopper for cooperating with the outer face of the hopper door for maintaining the door in partially closed position to regulate the discharge of ballast or the like from the hopper.

Another feature of the invention resides in providing one of the hoppers with a chain which is adapted to be looped over the outer face of the door for holding the door in an intermediate position of closure to spread ballast discharged from the hopper.

A still further feature of the invention consists in providing the door of the hopper with an angular member having a plurality of clips on opposite sides of the door sup-porting hook to support adjacent portions of a chain which is adapted to extend across the face of the door to hold it in an intermediate position of closure for spreading ballast from the hopper.

Other and more specific features of the invention, residing in advantageous forms, combinations and relations of parts, will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front face view of an individually operated door supported in closed position.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the door and of the hopper with which it cooperates, the door being shown in dot and dash lines in an intermediate position of closure in which it is held by a chain or the like for spreading ballast.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional View taken on line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I indicates one of the side sills of the car and 2 the center sill. Each side sill may be conveniently in the form of an angle having an upstanding leg 3 and a horizontal leg i. I

The center sill may be of conventional inverted channel shape in cross section, only one-half of the sill being illustrated in Figure 1. It is preferably formed with a top member 5 and an upright leg 6 which terminates in an outwardly projecting flange 1.

As shown, the outer hopper side sheet 8 is secured atits upper end to the upstanding leg 3 of the adjacent side sill, the rivets which are employed to secure the side sheet to the upstanding leg also preferably secure the lower edge of the adjacent side sheet 9 of the car to the sill.

The inner hopper side sheet ll may advantageously be secured at its upper end by rivets or the like to the upper portion of the upright leg 6 of the center sill.

Secured to the outer face of the door is a member ll having an opening l2 through which the hook for supporting the door in fully closed position projects. The manner in which the door supporting hook cooperates with the member II is fully shown and described in my pending application Serial No. 95,362, filed May 25, 1949, which has matured into Patent No. 2,638,061.

Attached to the hopper is a chain it for holding the door in an intermediate position of closure, as shown by the dot and dash lines in Figure 2, so that the door may function to distribute ballast or other lading discharging from the hopper. If desired, the chain may be removably connected to both the outer and inner side sheets of the hopper by brackets M As clearly shown in the sectional view of Figure 3, the main portion of each bracket is riveted securely to the ad- J'acent hopper sheet. At its lower end, each bracket is bent upon itself, as indicated at l5, and is slotted to receive the next to the last link of the chain, the last link lying in a plane substantially parallel with the adjacent hopper sheet.

The chain is adapted to extend from one side of the door to the other, it being, in effect, looped over the outer face of the door. When the door is locked in closed position, the chain is supported on the angle-shaped portion N5 of the member I I secured to the outer face of the door in the manner shown in Figure 1. To retain the chain in this position and prevent it from dragging along the right-of-way, clips ll are secured to the angle-shaped member 16 on opposite sides of the hook which normally maintains the door in fully closed position.

Instead of securing the chain to the inner side of the hopper sheet, it may, of course, continue across the door of the adjacent hopper on the other side of the center sill and be secured to the outer sheet of that hopper. In this manner, means is provided for controlling the opening movement of the doors of adjacent hoppers on opposite sides of the center sill.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the structure illustrated and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a railway hopper car having a. plurality of hoppers, a door adapted to close one of said hoppers, said door being adapted to serve as a ballast spreader, and settable means attached to and extending between the side walls of said hopper for limiting the extent of opening of said door to a predetermined of a plurality of open positions, said means engaging both edges of said door to maintain the same against distortion.

2. In a railway hopper car having a plurality of hoppers, a door adapted to close one of said hoppers and lockable in closed position, said door when unlocked serving as a ballast spreading mechanism, and a flexible member attached tothe side walls of said hopper and extending across the lower face of said door, said flexible member being presettable for limiting opening of said door to any one of a plurality of ballast spreading positions.

3. In a railway hopper car having an inclined hopper, a door adapted to close said hopper and lockable in closed position, said door when unlocked serving as a ballast spreading mechanism, a flexible member having its ends attached respectively to the side walls of said hopper, said member extending across the lower face of said door and being adjustable for limiting opening of said door to any one of a plurality of predetermined ballast spreading positions, said flexible member also serving to maintain said door against distortion.

4. In a railway hopper car having a hopper with substantially vertical side walls, a door hingedly connected to said hopper, said door being adapted to close said hopper when in closed position, said door when in open position serving as a ballast spreading mechanism, means on the outer face of each side wall for adjustably fastening a chain thereto, a chain supported on the lower outer face of said door and having its ends respectively attached to the said fastening means, said chain being presettable through said fastening means for controlling the extent of opening of said door when unlocked and limiting said opening to any one of a plurality of ballast spreading positions, and said chain also serving to prevent the distortion of said door when the same is serving as a ballast spreader.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 739,914 Otis Sept. 29, 1903 1,125,982 Dufale Jan. 26, 1915 1,395,028 Berg et al Oct. 25, 1921 1,759,677 Wine May 20, 1930 1,768,302 Wine June 24, 1930 1,798,184 Wasberg et al Mar. 31, 1931 1,861,152 Campbell May 31, 1932 2,009,621 Kakoska July 30, 1935 

